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Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2018 16:42:34 GMT -4
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Post by brette on Jan 30, 2018 23:39:00 GMT -4
With regards to the sleep deprivation study, I believe this technique could be revolutionary in bipolar depression. Though there isn’t enough publication and knowledge around the world it can possibly produce significant effects. Evidently, this relatively new approach is underfunded and not widespread due to its threat of significantly reducing the gross profits in which a pharmaceutical company can make per year on patients suffering from bipolar depression; and whom continue to buy medications that offer little relief. I , for one have never heard of this approach and with its relation to circadian rhythm and truly trying to fix what is believed to be the root of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms. If more research is gathered and funded and more brilliant and independently thinking minds can work together, share ideas and approaches to produce better trials; this could be groundbreaking.
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Post by brette on Jan 31, 2018 1:00:31 GMT -4
“ Should a criminal with brain damage be get a lighter sentence”
Firstly , in my opinion the big question is Should a person whether or not claiming mental incompetence be screened for a tumor, injury or dementia of the brain? I think that in order to avoid certain degrees of “ leniency” the better option would call for all persons accused of criminal behavior to be screened for any brain abnormalities or injury prior to pre- trial hearing. If the justice system prides itself of putting away guilty people in society to keep everyone safe , isn’t it then, fair to say , that to help truly determine if someone is innocent until proven guilty be given a true chance at acquiring the help they need? For example Deven Black whom had no prior criminal activity behave out of character without any warning. However, it is also fair to say that there is no way , whether or not you have any brain injury does it determine your outcome. Yet still, drawing reference to NFL players who sustain numberous blows to the head causing possible or in some cases inevitable development of CTE not have enough brain deficiency to truly not or partially not be held accountable for their behavior? Therefore, is it that these examples of clinical presentations of possible mental Incompetence be treated or should these people just be thrown in prison ? After all they are still PEOPLE who require medical attention. I therefore support that some kind of protocol be put in place to avoid missing medical deficits in which a person may have and not just that these medical opinions be used as a way to acquire “lighter sentencing”.
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Post by gacuna on Feb 2, 2018 1:42:04 GMT -4
"Sleep Deprivation is a Suprisingly Effective Way to Treat Depression"
“Sleep deprivation…can prompt an immediate improvement in mood, and in cognitive abilities. But, Benedetti adds, there’s a catch: once you go to sleep and catch up on those missed hours of sleep, you’ll have a 95 per cent chance of relapse.” However, the article goes on to state that patients “go to bed every two nights…[and] they can sleep for as long as they want” which appears to be contradictory to the initial statement. On a short term basis, the triple chronotherapy comprised of sleep deprivation, lithium, and light appears to have promising results for patients with bipolar depression that is refractory the conventional medical treatment. It’s practicality on a long term basis, however, is somewhat unclear. While data has been recorded and the positive results point to a breakthrough treatment in bipolar depression, one has to question its feasibility and application for the layman. How is one to regulate between attaining the hours of sleep needed to stave off the health problems correlated with chronic sleep and the number of hours one must be deprived to maintain that “golden ratio” without a team of scientists? Until more funding and research is done to formulate a step-by-step guide for this treatment that a layman can utilize on their own without relying on a specialist to guide them at every junction, it will remain an expensive alternative to the conventional medical treatment. That being said, I am excited to see where these studies are headed.
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Post by gacuna on Feb 2, 2018 1:54:56 GMT -4
"Should a Criminal with Brain Damage get a Lighter Sentence?"
While reading this article, I immediately thought of two of my favorite movies. The first is “Primal Fear” starring Edward Norton and Richard Gere, a movie that explores the idea behind the use of “reason of insanity” in a judicial court. The second movie is an old Tom Cruise movie, “Minority Report,” which is set in a futuristic world where neurobiology is utilized to predict the likelihood of a person committing a crime and arresting them before the crime was ever committed. In light of these two different scenarios and the article posed to us, I still stand by the fact that a sentence must equal the crime. One can use neurobiology and a mental illness as a risk factor for committing a crime; however, no matter how one reasons or defends the actions of an individual, the final decision to commit a crime still lies with their individual choice. However, I do support the development of a protocol that guides the “alterations” to the conventional punishment of the individuals that fall in these scenarios. Those with a PROVEN pathology pertaining to their mental illness and neurobiology should receive a sentence with the medical help that they need, as opposed to simple incarceration. Studies have shown that many individuals that have been incarcerated suffer from a mental illness. The time simply serving their sentence without providing ADEQUATE help will only exacerbate their mental condition which will not aid them or society once they are released from their sentence. Therefore, I support an “altered,” but equal sentence.
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Post by kazeem on Feb 4, 2018 14:57:26 GMT -4
“Should a criminal with brain damage be get a lighter sentence”
I believe a criminal with brain damage should get a lighter sentence if there is any slight possibility that an individual acted a certain way due to a brain issue. Damages to the frontal area of the brain have been shown to cause disinhibition and allow people to act out in ways they normally won’t. Not long ago, people didn’t understand dementia in the elderly and used to chastise them for their behaviors. The judicial system needs to catch-up with the new advances and findings in neurological sciences, but also have a check in place to prevent people from gaming the system.
An argument to counter this would be that you would always find something if you go looking. As everyone ages, there would be atrophy or an abnormal finding that could be perceived as causing a neurological defect. So, this is purely subjective.
We might not know if the damage to the brain caused the individual to commit the crime, but that must be factored into sentencing if there is any sense of doubt.
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Post by kazeem on Feb 4, 2018 15:42:46 GMT -4
“Sleep Deprivation is a Surprisingly Effective Way to Treat Depression”
Using this technique to treat depression should certainly be used more often in individuals suffering from depression. I am always for trying out treatments that do not involve pharmacological drugs initially. It kind of makes sense that sleep deprivation is the corrective action for depression, as people with depression usually are sleeping a lot and are in bed all day. Keeping them awake and stimulated changes their brain chemistry. The sleep deprivation is only one part of the treatment. The individual is also subjected to a scheduled routine of daily activities once they leave the facility to prevent them from relapsing.
In an ideal world, this would be the best form of initially treatment combined with CBT. The only problem is that it requires the patient to be put in a facility to get the treatment. This takes time and manpower, which are limited.
In my opinion, if an individual suffering from depression can try this treatment option first, they should go for it. Pharm drugs help correct neurohormones but changing behavior can help correct this neurohormones too.
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kodi
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Post by kodi on Feb 4, 2018 19:20:42 GMT -4
"Should a criminal with brain damage get a lighter sentence"
An employee that sleeps regularly in the office neglecting his duties may be found to have some kind of brain abnormalities (destruction of SCN nuclei of hypothalamus leading to disorder of circadian rhythms).
Likewise, an individual involved in crimes may get diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder which also has its bearing on brain dysfunction as a result of brain defects and injuries in frontal cortex, amygdala e.t.c.
According to Fox, "there are brain abnormalities that predispose to every behavior"
The power of nueroscience should neither be exagerated or underestimated.
I am of the opinion that the full course of law should take effect in addition to psychotherapy as well as pharmacotherapy if one is suspected or proven to have any form of brain damage that may predispose him to such crime.
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kodi
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Post by kodi on Feb 4, 2018 23:36:46 GMT -4
"Sleep Deprivation and Depression"
Sleep deprivation despite the listed shortcomings of , inability to patent it, unavailability of placebo, skepticism of how well it works, practical difficulties, non compliance and requiring hospitalization for better implimentation and also the fear of relapse and mixed mood as highlighted in this article. Those are still not enough to discredit it because similar and even worse effects could be seen in pharmacological management of depression, which in most cases is more serious and could even be life threatening.
I will advocate that in addition to sleep deprivation as a natural way of managing depression, that alternative remedy of strenghtening the circadian clock to increase psychological resilience just like Martiny should be explored. This include but not limited to altering the amount /quantity of adenosine, melatonin, and cortisol at different point in time as well as exploring ways to naturally boost the expression of Per2 protein that drives the molecular clock in cells which is the mechanism behind which lithium works in depressed patient.
Yes Sleep deprivation being a natural therapy with fewer side effect should be encouraged and ways to improve on it be sorted.
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Post by PraiseGod Ekong on Feb 5, 2018 4:12:58 GMT -4
“Should a criminal with Brain damage get a lighter sentence”
This was a good article.
In my opinion, I do not think a criminal with brain damage should get a lighter sentence. Although I feel that if tested for a positive brain damage, provisions for treatment and possible rehab along with your sentence will go a long way in helping both the individual and the society.
This is because even if they get a lighter sentence, when they get out, they can always commit the same offense because they know that “their punishment will be lighter”.
I quote Deena Weisberg “Everything influences the brain”
Therefore, regardless of the situation, there is always a reason something happens, either abuse, neglect, trauma, or brain injury so you should not decide to reduce the sentence instead a better option will be enforcing the law alongside pharmacological and psychological help.
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Post by osalaw on Feb 5, 2018 11:58:03 GMT -4
Should A Criminal With Brain Damage Get A Lighter Sentence?
- I believe that there should be a thorough medical examination on anyone with who commits a crime, and this should include a mental health exam. Many people who commit crimes have been described by those who were close to them as starting to display erratic behavior within weeks to months to even years before they started to commit a crime. Other studies have shown that many people who have participated in homicides or other heinous acts actually suffered from an antisocial personality disorder and, through further investigation, revealed that they also suffered from conduct disorders before adulthood that was never really addressed. The thing is, that most of the discoveries made about the true mental health or cognitive issues that criminals suffer from are not realized until after they commit several crimes, after they are sentenced for a long period of time, or even after they re-offend. If some of these people had had better evaluations beforehand perhaps most of these crimes would not have been committed, which speaks to intent (or lack thereof), which would in tern ultimately have an effect on the ruling on their court case, and by their sentencing by the judge. So yes, I do believe that a criminal with brain damage either through physiological or pathological means should get a lighter sentence, if it can be proven without a doubt that the "damage" truly contributed to the person committing the crime in question.
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Ahmed Abdelwahab MS3
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Post by Ahmed Abdelwahab MS3 on Feb 5, 2018 12:32:17 GMT -4
"Sleep Deprivation Is a Surprisingly Effective Way To Treat Depression"
I found this article to be very interesting because I have not come across this mode of treatment of depression in my studies. The idea of restoring a depressed person's circadian rhythm by depriving them of sleep makes a lot of sense. Perhaps this research could lead to the development of a drug that acts in the same way as sleep deprivation does - by either increasing the amount of adenosine released in the brain or making adenosine receptors more sensitive. The article brings up an interesting point about how potential non-profitable forms of treatment such as this do not receive the attention or funding they should because private industry, who usually finance it, have no incentive to do so, and therefore it is up to governments to invest more of their money into such endeavors.
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Post by osalaw on Feb 5, 2018 12:33:19 GMT -4
Sleep Deprivation Is a Surprisingly Effective Way To Treat Depression
- Personally, I have always been a big proponent of trying a holistic way of therapy for an ailment before even attempting to use any type of chemical means to fix a problem. In this study, these people who are suffering from debilitating depression have likely already tried CBT and medications that had little to no effect on their symptoms. Why not try another extreme measure that does not hurt the patient or others, does not involve the addition of multiple chemical treatments, and seems to finally work and make the patient feel better. In addition, for those that believe that this method seems a bit barbaric and think that these people will not be able to live a normal life with operating on odd daily/weekly schedules where they could easily relapse, I would say to them that basically these people already had no quality of life with being chronically depressed, so any alternative I believe would be better than what they had been already facing. At least this method gives a little hope to having some sort of a future and gives suffering individuals a better outlook on life.
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Ahmed Abdelwahab MS3
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Post by Ahmed Abdelwahab MS3 on Feb 5, 2018 12:42:37 GMT -4
"Should A Criminal With Brain Damage Get A Lighter Sentence?"
When brain damage can be easily identified via imaging techniques, then the obvious answer is that it should lighten a person's sentence. The problem arises when that damage is not easily identifiable and, rather, manifests itself as a psychiatric condition. In this scenario, I believe that a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation with incorporation of all previous medical records must be done. The forensic psychiatrist doing this evaluation must be agreed upon and paid for by both the prosecution and defense, so as to prevent a conflict of interest. Finally, instead of a psychiatric diagnosis lightening a person's sentence, it should instead alter it from one completely rooted in prison-sentencing and probation, to one revolving around involuntary psychiatric admission. Until psychiatric disorders become more objectively diagnosable, this is perhaps the fairest way to go about dealing with sentencing.
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jose
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Post by jose on Feb 7, 2018 21:06:49 GMT -4
Sleep Deprivation Is a Surprisingly Effective Way To Treat Depression
In regard to sleep deprivation, I think the human body as a machine. With many components moving at once, the body at some point needs rest to rejuvenate and reenergize. However, when the body does not rest or take a break, it not function right. For instance, decreased memory, lack of concertation, impaired judgment, and unbalance/incoordination of body movement. In fact, in many previous researches shows that sleep deprivation is equivalent as if someone was drunk. However at the same time having too much sleep ( either by mental health, drug side effect, toxins, etc..) can be harmful as well- especially to the body’s circadian rhythm and homeostasis to be off. After reading this article, it seems the idea of sleep deprivation may look promising but more research is needed at a larger sample size in numerous trials to demonstrate its ability to improve patients with depression and even treatment-resistant depression also.
Should A Criminal With Brain Damage Get A Lighter Sentence?
The idea for “screening” or examine those for any brain damage that results in criminal offenses may seem ideal in theory. However, the concern is that it would be an expansive approach to make such determination, especially in this day in age for effective healthcare while maintaining a cost-efficient approach is a challenging task for many. If the suspect is been determine to be incompetent by medical examination and confirmed by appropriate medical tests, then this seems would be a good idea and have its sentence reduced or receive a lesser sentence. However, this can be a quick approach to a reduced sentence, just as how many those charged in homicide often take a “pledge deal” in exchange for a lesser punishment, little or no jail time also. I am for “do the crime, do the time” as long there is evidence of such support the claim and provide the help and treatment need to improve its quality of health.
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